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Car Full Of Fools Gold Lands NJ Man Trip To Fed Pen — Then Back To India

A New Jersey scammer whose eyes were bigger than his brain when he tried to rob an Athol woman of more than $300,000 was sentenced on Wednesday, May 24, to a year in prison, after which he'll be deported back to India authorities said. 

A 38-year-old New Jersey man, who tried to swindle an Athol woman out of her life savings by having her convert it to gold so he could take it for safekeeping, was sentenced to a year in prison and will then be deported to India, officials said.

A 38-year-old New Jersey man, who tried to swindle an Athol woman out of her life savings by having her convert it to gold so he could take it for safekeeping, was sentenced to a year in prison and will then be deported to India, officials said.

Photo Credit: Unsplash/Jingming Pan

Gaurang Contractor, 38, a citizen of India living in Jersey City, NJ, tried to trick a Central Massachusetts woman into believing he was a DEA agent and she needed to convert her life savings into gold and give it to him for safekeeping, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. 

Contractor contacted the woman in August 2022 using the alias of "Oscar White," a Drug Enforcement Agent, and he had horrible news: Drug dealers had stolen her identity and compromised her bank accounts, but there was a solution. She would need to withdraw $330,000 from her bank account and convert it to gold bars at Hannoush Jewelers in Hadley to avoid being prosecuted as part of a drug ring, officials said. 

He instructed her to leave the gold in the trunk of her car so a court officer could come by to collect it. 

The woman wasn't buying it and called the real police, who set up a sting. They put two buckets of fake gold in a car's trunk in the parking lot of the Hadley jewelry store and waited for someone to collect them. Contractor made the trek from New Jersey to Central Mass and moved the buckets from the bait car to his own. 

But not all that glitters is gold—like handcuffs. 

Contractor pleaded guilty to one of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in March. He was sentenced to a year and a day and deportation, the prosecutor said.

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